Collapsible paperboard house



F. MALLGRAF 2,230,305

COLLAPSIBLE PAPERBOARD HOUSE Filed April 24, 1939 IN VENTOR. FEED/MENUMHL gg BY r Patented Feb. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT FICE COLLAPSIELEPAPERBOARD HOUSE Ferdinand Mallgraf, Little Neck, N. Y.

Application April 24, 1939, Serial No. 269,560

2 Claims.

This invention relates to collapsible paperboard bird houses,toy-houses, box-like containers and the like, and is an improvement overmy Patents No. 2,190,721 and No. 2,195,575, and co-pending applicationbearing Ser. No. 234,352.

The salient feature of this invention is the improvement in thestructural form of the house, comprising side flaps that extend upwardlyapproximately at a right angle to the fioor panel, thus providingrigidity and firmness therewith, and also preventing the sagging anddeflection of the floor panel, due to the truss-like construction of theside flaps when extended at about a right angle, forming side braces tothe floor.

Another salient feature of this invention is the reinforcement featureprovided in the keeperslot, whereby the interlocking tabs of theoverlapping end fiaps of the house structure are secured firmly in theirlocked position and. further the hinged end flap of the roof issimultaneously held under pressure against the rear wall and end flapsof the extended house structure.

Another salient feature of this invention, is the tapered perch-stickthat is adaptable to adjust and bind itself firmly in a wedging fit intosmall holes provided at the corner portion of the house structure,whereat the older bird may feed the younger birds through the ingressopening provided in one of the side walls therewith.

Another salient feature of this invention is the unique finish of thewood-like exterior of the house structure, which provides a neat,conservative and inexpensive decorated exterior, although the exteriorfinish may be made to suit any house design.

Another feature of this invention is the ingress or entrance hole forthe birds to feed their young, whereby the hole is located under theprotruding eaves of the roof, thus providing a shelter andless'liability of the rain water going through the hole into the house.

Other features of the invention will appear as the description proceedsin the following specification, accompanied by the annexed drawing, inwhich:

Figure 1 is an elevational view in perspective of the extendedpaperboard house structure, partly broken away for the purpose ofillustrating the upturned side braces forming a truss-like constructionto prevent sagging of the floor portion.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view in elevation of the same housestructure taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 shows the paperboard blank that forms the house structure shownin Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional View in perspective of analternative means for forming the keeper-slot. l

Figure 5 is a similar view of another alternative tab locking operation.

(Cl. 119Z3) Figure 6 is a similar view of another alternative tablockingoperation.

Figure 7 is a similar view of another alternative tab locking operation.

Figure 8 is a modification of a sloping floor design which may assist indraining out any water at the hole in the lowest part thereof.

Referring to the drawing, particularly to the blank B shown in Figure 3,the numeral l indicates the intermediate panel interconnecting bycreases 2 and 3 to panels 4 and 5 which interconnect by creases B and Ito end flaps 8 and 9 provided with upper and lower tabs H and 12, I3 andM, respectively, each having a small hole h. The intermediate panel Ialso interconnects by creases i5 and E6 to panels I7 and it which bycreases l9 and 29 interconnect to panels 2| and 22, the panel 2! beingprovided with a tab 23, and the panel 22 interconnecting by a crease 25to an end eaves flap 2t having a portion cut on lines 21, 28 and 29adjacent the crease line 25. The panel ll interconnects by creases 30and 3| to side braces or flaps 32 and 33. The panel 5 is provided withan opening in the apexed or gabled portion 35, or this opening may beprovided in the apexed or gabled portion 36 of the panel 4, this beingoptional. All creases may be known as folding, score or crease lines.

The blank B is shown extended into a house structure in Figures 1 and2-, in which the panel 1 forms the front wall, the panels 4 and form theside walls, the panel 2| forms the rear wall, the panels l8 and 22 formthe roof portion, and the panel I! forms the floor portion.

The side flaps or braces 32 and 33 of the floor panel I! prevent thesagging of the floor 11, since through experimental tests the floorwithout these braces 32 and 33, if water-soaked, will sag and warp.Therefore, it will be readily seen that these side braces 32 and 33 willassist in preserving the floor panel, clearly shown in Figure 1 andFigure 2. One end of the braces 32 and 33 interposes between the edgesof the rear panel 2i and side panels 4 and 5, thereby securing thebraces in their upright and extended position. Small drain holes oropenings dh as shown in Fig. 8 of the drawing may or may not be providedin the floor panel, but cutting holes or slots in the floor panel tendsto weaken the panel, and this is important when these blanks B are madeof light weight paper or kraft board material.

The opening 0, may be known also as an ingress or entrance to theinterior of the extended house structure and is situated in the apexedor gabled roof portion directly under the projecting eaves 35 and 36 ofthe roof portion, thereby lessening somewhat the liability of rain waterentering through the opening 0.

The slitted portion on the lines 21, 28 and 29 of the hinged flap 26, asshown in the blank B of the Figure 3, when extended as shown in Figure1, provides a keeper-slot 40 for the tabs ll, l3 and 23, and a uniquetab-brace and pressure member 38, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 5,thereby providing a flat rear portion to the house structure in orderthat same may be secured by nails through the small holes h in the tabsto any suitable support. This tab-brace member 38 tends to bind the flap26 under pressure against the rear folding flaps 8 and 9 as shown, thuseliminating stapling and riveting for securing the end eaves flap 26 tothe rear folding flaps and panel.

In Figure 4 this cut or slitted feature is reversed and the brace member38 projects from the gable roof panel as shown, and provides a gutter toprevent rain water entering the keeperslot 40'.

A tapered perch-stick PS is shown in Figure 1, one end of which islarger than the other. It has been found in straight perch-sticks ofuniform diameter, that when shrunk they become loose in holes h2 and7L3. If tapered they are slidable further into the holes h2 and b3, fora tight and wedging fit. The perch-stick may be slightly set at an angleas shown in Figure 1 so if loose, it may tend to work into a wedging fitby its own weight or by the bird hopping on and off the perch-stick.

In Figure l, the finish of the paperboard is shown to represent woodprinted upon one side of the blank, in which the upper and lower tabswill show the unprinted side towards the front of the house structure.In order to provide a finish thereat, in Figure 5 and Figure 7, theupper and lower tabs I4 and 23 are made longer than those shown inFigure 3, and are turned over at M and 23 as shown, thereby providingthe outside exterior grain finish to be on the front of the tabs.However, printing the wood grain finish on both sides of the tabs willeliminate the turnover feature of the tabs. However, the, turnover tabsbear upon and hold roof panel 22 in a locked position. If desired, thisturnover feature may be also on tabs II- and I2. Also the exteriorfinish may be of one solid color only, such as white, yellow or red,etc., or may be striped in two or more colors, all of which is optional.

It is to be understood that the house structure may be made up indifferent shapes or designs, in which the vertical and horizontal panels4, 5, l1 and I8, and the flaps 8 and 9 of the blank 13 may be cut atright angles to each other, thereby making an oblong-shaped house withthe front, sides and rear panels, when extended, instead of the obtuseangle and keystone design shown and described in Figure 1. Also thefloor panel I! may be lower at the front panel interconnecting creaseI5, thereby allowing a sloping floor with suitable drainage openings dhat its lower portion to drain off water within the house structure asshown in Figure 8.

Also the cut-blank B may be printed to represent any design of a housestructure having the wall panels I, 4, 5 and 2|, and tabs ll, l3 and 23of the flaps 8 and 9 and rear panel 2|, respectively, forming thechimney, the tabs l2 and I4 being out off, the flaps 8 and 9 and rearpanel 2| overlapping and interlocking in a three-fold formation.

It is understood that all parts similar in purpose but altered slightlyin an alternative form, will be designated by same numerals primed.

The drawing is not to be considered exact in detail, it being merelyillustrative of the invention, and I reserve the right to alter any partof my device within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what. I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Pat- 'ent, is as follows:

1. A collapsible house structure of the character described, comprisinga blank having a plurality of adjoining panels and interconnectingcrease lines, said blank being erected into a house structure wherebysaid panels form the front, side and rear walls, and the floor and roofportionsof said house structure, said floor having side brace portions,each of said side walls having an apexed portion, an ingress openingprovided in one of said apexed portions, said side walls being providedwith end flaps overlapping onto said rear wall, said end flaps havingupper and' lower projecting tabs, said rear'wall having an upper tab,said tabs being provided with small holes therein, said side braceportions of said floor being extended at about a right angle to saidfloor in order to prevent said fioor from warping and sagging, said roofportion being provided with a hinged flap portion bounded by a U shapedslit adaptable to form a keeper-slot arranged at the crease line inbetween said roof portion and hinged flap, said roof portion havinganintermediate crease line whereby said roof portion forms a gabled roofonto said apexed' portions of i said side walls, said gabled roof havingeaves protruding beyond said apexed portions and ingress opening, saidrear wall and overlapping end flaps being secured in their overlappingposition by said upper tabs being interlocked into said keeper-slot,whereby said hinged fiap of said roof portion is forced against saidrear wall and end flaps due to the portion bounded by a U-shaped slitforming a brace-tab therewith, thereby providing a fiat rear portion tosaid house structurein order that the same may be secured by a-nailthrough said small holes in the tabs to any suitable support.

2. A collapsible house structure of the character described, havingfront, side and rear wall portions and floor and roof portions, saidfloor portion being provided with lateral side braces.

to prevent said floor from sagging, an ingress opening in one of saidwall portions, said side wall portions being provided with end flapshaving tabs formed integrally therewith, said rear wall portion beingprovided with a tab formedintegrally therewith, said roof portion beingpro vided with a keeper-slot having a brace-tab and an end flap formedtherewith, said tabs being inserted through said keeper-slot wherebysaid brace-tab is forced under pressure by the inserted tabs, therebyextending said end flap of said roof portion against the rear wall andoverlap: ping end flaps of said side walls, whereby a flat rear portionis provided for said house structure, small holes being provided at onecorner of said house structure, and a perch-stick providedwith one endportion larger than the other end, said perch-stick adaptable to beinserted into said small holes, whereby it may adjust itself into awedging fit into said holes, said perchstick being adjacent said ingressopening whereat the larger bird may feed through said openin the youngerbirds.

FERDINAND MALLGRAF. I a

